Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 23 — The Zend-Avesta, Part II / Yasts & Nyayis (Darmesteter, page scans)

ongst the strong, a chief of assembly amongst the chiefs of assemblies ; increase-giving, fatness-giving, cattle-giving, sovereignty-giving, son-giving, cheerfulness '-giving, and bliss ''-giving.

^ Kari-o-razanghem: ke^-var virai (Pahl. tr. ibid.). "^ From Ahriman ; cf. Yasna XXIX, 6 (vy an a = vi>('arijn,vijuddhata.) ^ Yaokh.ytiva7z/: kamakomand (possessing whatever he wishes for. Vend. XX, i [3]).

* See Yt. X, 82, note. « From Yt. X, 23-24.

* Cf. Yasna XLIII, 7: vyanaya: amat vandinit, yat gn'h«ati. ' Cf. Yt. X, 5, p. 121, notes i and 2.

136 YA5TS AND sIroZAHS.

66. ' With whom proceed Ashi Vanguhi, and Parendi on her hght chariot S the awful Manly Courage, the awful kingly Glory, the awful sovereign Sky, the awful cursinor thouorht - of the wise, the awful Fravashis of the faithful, and he who keeps united together the many faithful worshippers of Mazda \

' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XVII.

67. ' We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, sleepless, and ever awake ;

*Who drives along on his high-wheeled chariot, made of a heavenly* substance, from the Karshvare of Arezahi ^ to the Karshvare of //z^aniratha, the bright one ; accompanied by ^ the wheel of sovereignty ^ the Glory made by Mazda, and the Victory made by Ahura ;

68. 'Whose chariot is embraced^ by the great Ashi Vanguhi ; to whom the Law of Mazda opens a way, that he may go easily ; whom four heavenly steeds, white, shining, seen afar, beneficent, endowed with knowledge, swiftly ^ carry along the heavenly space^^ while the cursing thought of the wise pushes it forward ;

69. ' From whom all the Daevas unseen and the Varenya fiends ^^ flee away in fear. Oh ! may we

1 Cf. Yt. VIII, 38. ^ See above, p. 12, note 13.

3 Mithra himself (?). " Or ' invisible.'

^ The western Karshvare (see above, p. 123, note 5); this seems to refer to the career of Mithra during the night ; cf. § 95. " And rolling upon it. '' Cf. Yt. XIII, 89, note.

» And uplifted. ' Doubtful.

^" See above, p. 95, note i. " See Vend. Introd. IV, 23.

p. 137

never fall across the rush of the angry lord\ who goes and rushes from a thousand sides against his foe, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god,

' For his brightness and glory, I will oflfer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XVIII.

70. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, ....

sides against his foe, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god,

' For his brightness and glory, I will oflfer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XVIII.

70. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;

* Before whom Verethraghna, made by Ahura, runs opposing the foes in the shape of a boar ^, a sharptoothed he-boar, a sharp-jawed boar, that kills at one stroke, pursuing^, wrathful, with a dripping face; strong, with iron feet, iron fore-paws*, iron weapons, an iron tail, and iron jaws ;

71. * Who, eagerly clinging to the fleeing foe, along with Manly Courage, smites the foe in battle, and does not think he has smitten him, nor does he consider it a blow till he has smitten away the marrow '" and the column of life ^, the marrow ^ and the spring of existence,

72. .'He cuts all the limbs to pieces, and mingles, together with the earth, the bones, hair, brains, and blood of the men who have lied unto Mithra'^.

' For his brightness and glory, we offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

^ Cf. § 98.

2 See Yt. XIV, 15; cf. Yt. X, 127.

8 Anupoithwa; cf. poithwa (Vend. XIV [ii4]) = raninijn.

* Literally, hands. ^ Doubtful.

» The spine. ' Cf. § 80.

^_ A ,

p. 138

XIX.

73. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;

'Who, with hands lifted up, rejoicing, cries out, speaking thus :

74. ' " O Ahura Mazda, most beneficent spirit !
Maker of the material world, thou Holy One !

' " If men would worship me^ with a sacrifice in which I were invoked by my own name, as they worship the other gods with sacrifices in which they are invoked by their own names, then I should come to the faithful at the appointed time ; I should come in the appointed time of my beautiful, immortal life ^."

75. 'May we keep our field; may we never be exiles^ from our field, exiles from our house, exiles from our borough, exiles from our town, exiles from our country.

76. ' Thou dashest in pieces the malice of the malicious, the malice of the men of malice : dash thou in pieces the killers of faithful men !

' Thou hast good horses, thou hast a good chariot: thou art bringing help at every appeal, and art powerful.

77. ' I will pray unto thee for help, with many consecrations, with good consecrations of libations ; with many offerings, with good offerings of libations, that we, abiding in thee, may long inhabit a good abode, full of all the riches that can be wished for.

. ' I will pray unto thee for help, with many consecrations, with good consecrations of libations ; with many offerings, with good offerings of libations, that we, abiding in thee, may long inhabit a good abode, full of all the riches that can be wished for.

^ They have worshipped him and he has consequently overcome the Mithradru^es j this accounts for the word rejoicing. 2 Cf. Yt. X, 55. ' Iric; cf. linquo.

p. 139

yS. * Thou keepest those nations that tender a good worship to Mithra, the lord of wide pastures ; thou dashest in pieces those that dehght in havoc. Unto thee will I pray for help : may he come to us for help, the awful, most powerful Mithra, the worshipful and praiseworthy, the glorious lord of nations.

' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XX.

79. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;

' Who made a dwelling for Rashnu \ and to whom
Rashnu gave all his soul for long friendship ;

80. ' Thou art a keeper and protector of the dwelling of those who lie not: thou art the maintainer of those who lie not. With thee hath Verethraghna, made by Ahura, contracted the best of all friendships ^, and thus it is how so many men who have lied unto Mithra, even privily^, lie smitten down on the ground.

' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XXI.

81. 'We sacrifice unto IMithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;

' Who made a dwelling for Rashnu, and to whom
Rashnu gave all his soul for long friendship ;

82. 'To whom Ahura Mazda gave a thousand

^ The Genius of Truth (Yt. XII) ; Mithra gives a dwelling to the truthful man in the same way as he destroys the dwelling of the liar (§ 80).

2 Cf. § 70.

' Aipi vithiji; Vedic api vyathis (VIII, 45, 19).

140 YA5TS AND stROZAHS.

senses ^ and ten thousand eyes to see. With those eyes and those senses, he watches the man who injures Mithra, the man who Hes unto Mithra, Through those eyes and those senses, he is undeceivable, he, of the ten thousand spies, the powerful, all-knowing, undeceivable god.

' For his brightness and glory, I will offer him a sacrifice worth being heard ....

XXII.

83. 'We sacrifice unto Mithra, the lord of wide pastures, .... sleepless, and ever awake ;

' Whom the lord of the country invokes for help, with hands uplifted ;

'Whom the lord of the town invokes for help, with hands uplifted ;

84.